The One With the Friends Plot
by beaglelover719
Summary: Derek is convinced there is something going on between JJ and Hotch. Based/inspired loosely by the show Friends. AU JJ/Hotch, rest of the team present as well.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer – Not Mine. **

**A/N – So I was watching Friends the other day and this idea wouldn't leave me alone. **

Derek slipped into Penelope Garcia's office and shut the door. "Baby Girl." His voice vibrated with urgency.

Garcia swiveled on her chair, surprised and happy to be getting a visit from her favorite profiler. "Hello Delicious, what can I do for you?"

"Have you talked to JJ today?" He questioned with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes.

Garcia tilted her head. "Why?"

"Because something definitely happened between JJ and Hotch." He stated with supreme confidence.

Garcia rolled her eyes at him. "When are you going to get off that? There is nothing going on with my Buttercup and Boss Man. I would know."

"Would you?" Derek challenged. "Because I just ran into Hotch at the coffee bar…"

"He's back?" Garcia interrupted. "How is he? Why does no one tell me these things, if I would have known he was coming back to the office today I would have baked a cake, or maybe cookies, ooh, maybe cupcakes." She glared at Derek for the perceived oversight. "Point is I would have baked something!"

Morgan shook his head at her. "Are you done?"

"Well it would have been nice to know." Garcia grumbled.

"So, as I was saying," Derek continued, "I ran into Hotch, who looks good, but the arm is still in a sling." He answered before she could ask. "And I said, 'so did JJ wear one of those cute nurse outfits when she was helping you out?'"

Penelope's eyes grew wide and she giggled. "I'm surprised your head is still attached."

"Right? Thank you!" Derek agreed. "I was expecting him to be all Hotch and get a lecture on the appropriateness of my statement."

"Ah, you missed your daily reprimands."

"A little bit I did." He nodded. "But that's not what happened, he blushes…"

Penelope's mouth dropped. "No. Way."

"Way. He blushes and stammers that JJ was a great help to him while he was recuperating. Then turns and walks away." He stated with a smirk.

"Stammers?" Penelope questions disbelievingly. "Aaron Hotchner, I eat bad guys for breakfast, stammered?"

"Stammers." Derek confirms.

They were busily staring at one another pondering the significance of this new development that they didn't notice that the door behind Derek was opening. "What are you two hens clucking about?" Emily asked as she flung open the door to find Derek and Pen in deep contemplation.

Before Derek could advise otherwise Garcia burst out. "Something happened between Hotch and JJ."

"What?" Emily looked at the pair with skepticism. Derek looked a touch smugger than usual, if that were even possible. "What do you know?"

He relayed to Prentiss his interaction with their stoic leader.

"He blushed and stammered?" Her voice was still tinged with doubt. This was JJ and Hotch they were talking about after all. And Derek had been beating this particular bush for a while now.

"Emily, the fact that he didn't bite my head off should speak for itself." Derek pointed out.

She thought about that for a moment before nodding. "True."

"Hey Pen." The door opened once more as JJ Jareau stepped into the TA's office. Her brow furrowed as the three individuals standing there all stopped and looked at her guiltily. "Hey, what's going on in here?"

Not knowing what to say Pen looked at JJ and with a touch of annoyance asked, "Why didn't you tell me Hotch was coming back today? You know I would have baked something."

JJ grinned. "That is exactly why I didn't tell you. Hotch didn't want anyone to make a big deal." She shrugged, "Please don't give him grief, and don't make a big fuss over him."

"But how will he know that we love him if I don't show him with baked goods?"

"Believe me, Pen; Aaron knows that we love him." She moved over to the desk and rifled through a set of files. "Ah, this is what I was looking for." She turned to the team. "Are you coming? Briefing in ten."

They were all staring at her wide eyed when she glanced up. "We'll be right there, you run along." Morgan grinned charmingly and JJ gave them another puzzled glance wondering what it was they were up to.

"O-kay." She gave them a half smile and left the small office.

She was barely out the door when Derek turned to the two women and cocked a brow. "Did I tell you?"

"OMG, OMG, OMG. She said Aaron." Penelope hissed. "She called him Aaron." She repeated.

Emily shrugged. "It is his name."

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After hesitating half a second to make sure that her teammates were not following her JJ made a beeline for Hotch's office. "They know." She hissed, moving quickly into the office and swinging the door closed behind her.

Hotch, studiously studying the file in front of him slowly raised his head. "Pardon?"

"They know." JJ repeated, urgently.

Confusion marred his face. "You're going to need to be a little more specific. Who knows what JJ?"

"Derek, Pen and Emily are all congregating in Penelope's office and they all looked guilty when I walked in."

A small smile lit his face. "It's not uncommon for the team to converge in Penelope's office. Nine out of ten times you're in there with them."

"A-ha! See? That just supports my theory." She proclaimed. "They didn't even look for me this morning. They know about us."

He closed the folder and decided to humor her. "Okay, let's say you're right. Say they do know." He sat back in his chair. "I'm fine with that. Don't you think it's time that we told the team?"

"I thought we were going to wait until you moved into the Section Chief role?" JJ stated.

It was widely known that Erin Strauss was moving in on to another fraction of the FBI and it was highly speculated that Aaron was the heir apparent to replace her however, it wasn't a definite. Hotch shrugged and reminded her of that little fact. "Jay, what happens if I don't get that position? Do we hide from our colleagues for another nine months that we're a couple?"

"Aaron." JJ froze, looking at him with wild eyes. "Oh my god, I called you Aaron."

"That is my name."

"No! In Pen's office, she was mad because she didn't know that you were coming back today and she didn't get to plan anything." JJ whined.

"Thank you for that."

"And then she said, 'How will he know that we love him if I don't bake' and I said 'don't worry Aaron knows we love him'." She groaned. "I called you Aaron."

"You're making too big of a deal over it, they probably didn't even notice." Hotch scoffed. When JJ stared at him in angry silence he stood from his desk and walked over to her. "Would it really be so bad if they knew?" His hand caressed her hip.

"No." She conceded, knowing that she was being silly. "I guess not." The distress on her face belied her words.

Hotch, reading both her posture and facial responses, dropped his hand. "Listen, if it makes you uncomfortable then we'll just continue on as we have been." When she didn't respond he created even more distance. "Maybe you don't even want that?" He questioned as he headed towards the door glancing at his watch. "We have a briefing we're going to be late to."

"Aaron." Snapping out of her funk JJ called after him. "Hey," She growled racing and beating him to the door. "You know that's not the case."

"Yet here we are still sneaking around and the mere idea of telling our friends we're in a relationship is sending you into a frenzy." He calmly pointed out before walking out of his office.

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The briefing was awkward to say the least. Hotch was obviously angry but no one, with the exception of JJ, knew why.

Fortunately travel was not in their immediate future but they did have a surplus of consults to keep them busy.

"Okay, I think that about does it." Hotch stated, closing the manila folder and standing. "I'll be in my office."

JJ stood as well and followed him out of the briefing. "Hey Hotch; can I have a few minutes of your time?"

"I have a meeting to prepare for, can you make it quick?" There was nothing lover like in his response, his tone clearly indicating that he did not want to be bothered.

"You know," Reid stated with a frown, "I'm not so sure he was ready to come back so soon. He seems awfully tense." His comment highlighted the concern the rest of the team was sharing.

Even Rossi was frowning. "I spoke to him earlier and he was fine." He turned and watched as Hotch strode towards his office as JJ trailed after him. "Did he and JJ have a quarrel?"

Morgan who had also been following the progress of the pair that vacated through the glass windows swung back and looked at Rossi. "Why do you ask that?"

"Because Hotch didn't make eye contact with JJ the entire time he was in the room. JJ, however, kept giving him the big doe eyes." Emily announced, finally allowing that Morgan might actually be on to something.

The term was foreign to Reid. "Doe eyes?" He asked, looking at Emily for an explanation.

"You know, big, sad, vulnerable, and pleading. Think of a hunter looking into a pair of eyes like that. It would make me think twice before pulling the trigger." Emily offered, before adding. "I think Dave's on to something but I'm not so sure it was a fight. I think JJ hurt Hotch's feelings."

Reid frowned. "JJ was the one to volunteer to watch Hotch when he was concussed. Why would she hurt his feelings?"

Rossi narrowed his eyes and looked at the body language between Morgan, Prentiss and Garcia, they knew something. "What are we thinking here?"

"We're thinking that JJ and Hotch are involved." Morgan was on to something and he knew it. They all scoffed and told him he was imagining things but he knew that there was something going on between JJ and Hotch, and it had been going on for a while.

"You've been barking up that tree for some time now. What have you got to support that theory?" Rossi sat back in the chair and let Derek run through the story he told Pen and Emily earlier. "I'm not buying it." He announced boldly after Derek finished.

"I swear to you man..."

"Oh, I think you're right and there is definitely something between the pair of them, but I can't believe that Aaron Hotchner would get so flustered as to actually betray that." He let his comment sink in.

Emily was the first to catch on, her eyes widened. "It was deliberate!"

"What?" Reid, genius that he was, was out of his element when it came to matters of the heart.

"Maybe he wants to be found out." Rossi reasoned.

**Thanks for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: Not Mine.**

JJ was seething by the time they returned to Hotch's office. "That was a really crappy thing to do. We discussed this and we both agreed…"

"We agreed, initially, to keep this to ourselves. When it was new and we were both uncertain as to where it would lead." He interrupted. "I guess I assumed that we were both on the same page as to where we were in this relationship." He shrugged, still pissed off by her evident reluctance to divulge their relationship to the team. "Apparently not."

"Do not presume to know what I am thinking, Aaron." JJ responded firmly, closing his office door.

"Obviously. It's blatantly clear I'm clueless where you're concerned." He agreed, moving towards his desk.

JJ reached out for his arm before he rounded the object. "You know damn well that is not what I meant."

Hotch sighed tiredly, his own disappointment clear. "I don't want to fight, Jay. If you don't want to tell anyone about us that's fine." He waited half a beat. "If you're happy with the way things are then I guess I am too."

Her face fell as she studied him. "You're not happy?"

"I'm not unhappy." He responded. "However, there are times when I wish I didn't have to keep up the façade that we are only friends."

JJ moved closer. "Aaron, our jobs depend on us keeping that façade. I like the fact that our private life is private." It was true that she was fiercely private. She did not like being the topic of conversation or speculation.

"What exactly do you think would change if our friends knew that we were in a relationship?" Hotch asked softly.

JJ shrugged a shoulder. "Well, for one, Garcia would start hounding me about how you were in bed."

Hotch let a small smile grace his lips. "I'm fairly certain that I can withstand that scrutiny. Unless you have complaints that you haven't shared with me?"

Despite herself she let out a small giggle. "Be serious."

"I am being serious." He reached down and grabbed her hand, linking their fingers. "I love you. I don't care who knows."

"You know that I love you." JJ pouted.

He sighed, "But?"

"No buts." She inched closer and Hotch slid his arm around her waist pulling her tightly to his body. "Fine, we'll have a happy hour on Friday and announce it to the team."

His smile grew as he stared down at her. "You're sure?"

"No, but I'm sure about you and you are so that's good enough for me." She grinned as his head bent towards hers. "Save that for home mister." She teased stepping out of his embrace.

"That was just mean." Hotch grumbled as he watched her move towards the door.

"I'll be in the file room in twenty minutes." She winked over at him. "Maybe I can make it up to you there."

"Are you suggesting a tryst in the file room, Agent Jareau?"

"Why don't you come to the file room and find out Agent Hotchner." She made sure to put an extra swing in her hips as she exited his office.

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Morgan was frowning, he hadn't even considered the fact that Hotch was playing him. Now he was conflicted. What had been Hotch's end game? He looked at the team and asked that very question.

"Maybe it's as simple as Rossi said. Maybe he does want it out in the open." Reid stated, agreeing with the older agent's assessment.

"Maybe he knows that you speculate about it and wants to add some fuel to your fire." Prentiss threw in. "But for what purpose? Are they really involved or is he just messing with you?"

"I think we'd know." Garcia stated, joining the conversation. Her chin rested on her fist as she tried to wrap her brain around the suspicion that Hotch and JJ were romantically involved.

"Like we knew that Prentiss was alive?" Rossi commented dryly.

The TA's mouth dropped. "Ooh, good point. They are really sneaky." She looked at her co-workers. "So what do we think, are they or aren't they?"

"They are." Morgan was firm in his belief.

Prentiss who had been firmly on the fence before the meeting shook her head. "I think so too. She stared at him way too long today."

"It was kind of convenient that JJ be the one to stay with Hotch, I mean, I get that Henry would entertain Jack and vice versa, but wouldn't it have made more sense that a male member of the team be there, you know, in case he would have needed help in the shower, or dressing?" Reid theorized.

"I wasn't going to give him a sponge bath." Morgan said under his breath.

"But JJ totally would." Garcia stated with a sly smile and giggle before realizing what she said and firmly clamping her mouth shut.

It did not escape Rossi's attention. "What do you know, Penny?" He prompted with a grin.

Feeling slightly bad for breaking a confidence Garcia feigned ignorance.

"Two secrets, Baby Girl, they have two on us." Morgan held up two fingers in a peace sign. "Secrets are harmful to a team, they break us down, cause slighted feelings…"

He knew how to break Garcia, and after staring into his deep chocolate eyes she blurted out. "She used to have a huge crush on Hotch. We had a girl's night once and…"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Emily interrupted, worried about what else she might spill. "You know, Pen, stuff shared at girl's night is not meant to be shared with everyone."

"I'm not going to tell everything, but she did say that Hotch had the best ass out of the team." Garcia announced before looking at Emily in shock over what she just inadvertently revealed. "Not that we talk about stuff like that normally." She added lamely.

"So," Derek drawled, looking over at Emily, "Who did you say had the best buns, Princess?"

"We're getting off track here." Emily growled, looking directly at Penelope. "We need to focus on JJ and Hotch."

"I think we need to screw with them." Rossi announced, he gave Emily a once over, gazing appreciatively on her tight fitting sweater. "You should flirt with Hotch. Come on to him."

"That's just crazy." Derek objected, not liking the idea too much.

"Can't do it." Emily protested, in agreement.

"Listen," Rossi scoffed, "If this goes against some BFF rules of engagement, don't sweat it, you're not seriously interested in the man. We just want to put some heat on the liars."

"It's not about some girl code." Emily argued, but to be fair it would be going against some unspoken friend rules. "But Hotch would have me talking to HR if I were to proposition him. He's not normal, he wouldn't be flattered, he'd be angry, or mortified, and then he'd start spewing out the code of conduct." The scenario she painted had a ring of truth.

"You need to hit on JJ." Morgan said, looking directly at Rossi.

"Me?" The older agent questioned. "Why not you, you're the playboy, or Reid here, he's closer to her age." He nodded his head Reid's direction.

"JJ would never buy that I was interested in her romantically." Reid stated. "We discovered years ago that we're just friends. It's pretty much the same with Morgan. He's her pal, her buddy, if he were to hit on her she would see right through him. You, however, have a reputation that precedes you. The FBI lothario, you she wouldn't anticipate."

"Shit." Rossi groaned as four smiling faces stared back at him.

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There was a definite spring in her step as JJ headed to the file room. She discreetly glanced at Hotch's office as she moved quickly to their rendezvous destination. Kissing him in his office during the day was a risk she wasn't willing to take but hardly anyone other than she and Garcia ventured into the BAU filing room. Pausing briefly and glancing around to make sure that no one was watching JJ slipping into the quiet room.

"I was beginning to think you were standing me up."

She hadn't realized that he was already in the room and would have squealed at the sudden surprise had not a strong pair of arms pulled her close and a firm, but gentle mouth settled on hers.

"I'm sorry I was a jerk this morning." Hotch whispered against her lips, not wanting to separate from her quite yet.

"I'm sorry I'm a neurotic mess." She liked the fact that no one was aware of the secret nature of their business. She loved her friends, but they tended to be intrusive. She was already imagining the line of questions they would have for the pair when they divulged their relationship.

"You're not." His hands cupped her face. "But if I have to listen to Morgan try to set you up with another man one more time I'm likely to come unglued."

"At least he didn't set up a dating profile for me like your pal Dave did." She suddenly grinned at him realizing that telling the team would result in thwarting their attempts at matchmaking. "After Friday we won't have to worry about that ever again."

"We can still sneak in here and make out, can't we?"

She answered him by snaking her arm under his suit jacket and pressing their bodies tightly together before fusing her mouth to his. His hands were starting to wander when her cell lit up. "Crap, that's Pen." She groaned as she looked at the text. "She's looking for me."

"Too bad, tell her to wait her turn." He lips made a trail from her collarbone to a spot behind her ear that drove her crazy. "What are the odds of getting a couch put in here?" He questioned as his hands palmed her ass.

"Yeah, that wouldn't be obvious." JJ giggled. "Okay, we've sufficiently made up. Time to get back to work." She dropped a chaste kiss on his mouth and wiggled her way free.

"Wow, way to make me feel cheap." He pulled her close once more. "At least give me a proper goodbye." His mouth settled on hers and she melted into his embrace. They broke apart minutes later, both flushed. "I just remembered why we don't do this more often here in the office."

"You are going to be very happy to see me tonight." JJ stated confidently.

Hotch leaned his head down and touched foreheads with her. "I'm always happy to see you."

JJ smiled sweetly and slipped from his embrace once more. She was at the door when she realized that he wasn't directly behind her. "Aren't you coming?"

"Not until I'm a little less happy to see you." He told her with a wink.

"Oh. Yeah, that's another reason why we don't make this a habit." She blew him a kiss from the door before stepping out of it.

**Thanks for reading! Thanks for all the reviews, favorites and follows - I really appreciate the interest and support!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: Not Mine**

JJ was still grinning when she walked into Garcia's office. "Hey, are you looking for me?"

"I wasn't, but I could be." David Rossi responded.

JJ looked at him with a puzzled expression; it wasn't often that he ventured into Garcia's lair. "What are you doing in here?"

"I imagine the same as you, looking for Penny." He responded. "You are looking lovely today, JJ." He told her earnestly. "What's put such a bloom on your cheeks?"

"Oh, thank you." She was surprised by the compliment. "Just having a good day I guess." She glanced back at the hallway wondering where Garcia could have gotten to. Rossi was given her a weird vibe. He was practically leering at her. "I'll check back on Pen later. Just let her know I stopped by when she comes back." She turned to leave.

"Are you dating yet?" Dave's question brought her up short. "I know that Morgan's made attempts at setting you up."

"Umm…" JJ peered down the hallway again looking for any sign of any one at this point.

"I'm sorry; I'm not trying to embarrass you, JJ."

"I'm not embarrassed." She was stunned, shocked, a whole lot of adjectives, but embarrassed wasn't one of them.

"Good." He took a hesitant step towards her. "I'd like to take you out Jennifer."

Nothing he said could have surprised her more. Internally she was cursing Aaron; if he hadn't kissed her senseless her brain would be functioning. As it was she could only stare at Dave dumbfounded.

"I realize that this has come as a bit of a surprise to you, but I've always found you alluring." He advanced another step. "I also understand that the age difference might be a bit daunting, but, hey," Here he flashed her his most charming smile, "You know what they say; age ain't nothing but a number."

"I uh…" JJ stuttered, still unable to wrap her brain around the fact that this was happening. "I'm flattered, but…"

He finally reached where she stood transfixed and she hadn't a clue as to how he managed to get so close. He reached out and softly pressed her forearm. "Don't say no, Bella, think about it." Then he leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on her cheek.

JJ could only stare as he sauntered away.

"What was _that_?" Garcia questioned from behind her making her jump.

"I think Dave just hit on me." She turned around and growled at Garcia. "Where the hell were you? Why weren't you here?"

"We are not talking about me when you've got Dave Rossi sliding up on you in the middle of the day. How absolutely delicious. How long has this been going on?" Garcia slid past JJ and moved into her office.

"There is nothing… I don't know what that was." She turned from the door and moved into Garcia's office. "David Rossi just asked me out. On a date." She needlessly clarified.

"Well, rumor has it he's a Love God. You should totally let him service your lady parts." She sat down behind her computer bank and swiveled around to face her friend.

"PEN!"

"What? Seriously JJ, when's the last time you had sex? Will's been out of the picture almost two years."

"I am not having sex with David Rossi." JJ sputtered.

"_You're having sex with Rossi?_"

JJ turned to find Emily standing in the doorway she just vacated. "No." She stated firmly.

Emily frowned. "Didn't you just say you were?"

"Not yet." Garcia stated. "But I think she totally should. Mr. David Rossi just propositioned our little JJ."

Emily let loose with a low whistle. "He's got quite a reputation, JJ. Did you know he was dating, if that's what you want to call it, the admin in White Collar?"

Pen furrowed her brow trying to place the woman. "The recently enhanced one?"

"That's the one. According to rumor they were a parting gift." Emily snickered. "You could do worse, who wouldn't want to have a Sugar Daddy?"

JJ raised her hands as if to ward them off. "There is nothing going on between me and Dave." She stated adamantly.

"But there could be." Garcia sang. "He's totes warm for your form, Peaches."

Thankfully the ringing of her cell prevented her from responding to Penelope's assessment. Happy for the work interruption she hastily made her way back to her own desk and vowed not to move from it until the end of the day.

"That worked far better than I thought it would." Emily remarked watching JJ move rapidly towards the bullpen. "She is totally freaking out."

"Yes it did and yes she is." Garcia chuckled. "It might have had something to do with the fact before she came in here to be so utterly blindsided by Rossi she was in the file room playing tonsil hockey with Boss Man."

"Get out." Emily laughed. "How do you know that?"

"I happened to see her slip into the room. But she did it all stealthy so I knew she was up to something. So I laid in wait to see her exit with bee stung lips and a goofy smile." She shared a knowing look with Emily. "Then I popped in the file room myself and there stands Boss Man looking hot and bothered."

Emily snorted. "Oh my God. What did Hotch do?"

At the question Garcia pouted. "He handed me a stack of files and asked if I could put them away for him."

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David Rossi took a calming breath and prepared to knock on Hotch's office door. JJ had been easy but he knew that Hotch would not be. He watched as the man in question lifted his eyes towards the door and motioned him in.

"Hey, are you supposed to be without your sling?" Rossi noticed he ditched it early in the day.

"It's a pain in the ass." He flexed his arm. "My arm feels fine. It was just precautionary anyway."

"So." Dave leaned against the chair facing Hotch's desk. "What was like living with JJ while you were recuperating?"

"She was a tremendous help, especially with Jack." He leaned back in his chair. "Having her and Henry there really helped him. I wasn't too pretty to look at for quite a few days and I think it brought back some bad memories for him."

He nodded. "JJ's really quite exceptional." He sighed forlornly and watched as Hotch rubbed the bridge of his nose right on schedule.

"Please tell me you haven't decided to make a play for JJ." The small tick on his forehead was hardly noticeable.

"I have to admit I find myself smitten." Rossi straightened and walked over to the windows overlooking the bullpen. "I asked her out earlier. I think I flustered her." He turned back to watch his friends cool assessment of him. "I know," He sighed, heavily, "It's frowned upon, fraternization is against policy. Blah, blah, blah. But you know, I've been thinking maybe it's time for me to give this up. I make a pretty healthy income writing."

Calmly Hotch sat back in his chair. "Wow, you're considering leaving the FBI. You must be pretty serious about her?"

The man didn't so much as flinch, which made Dave narrow his eyes. "I don't know, but I think I could be."

"Well," Hotch sighed, "I guess then I should wish you good luck. JJ is great I don't think you could do better." He smiled cagily at his oldest friend. "A younger woman would probably be good for you, and you've always wanted a kid. You need to keep in mind, smoking hot she may be, but JJ's a mom above all else. She and Henry are a package deal."

"I'm surprised to hear you say that." Dave commented, still studying the younger man, trying to figure out his angle.

"You and JJ are two of my oldest friends. Your happiness means a lot to me." Hotch replied genuinely.

"I was referring to your comment about her being smoking hot." Dave said stiffly, he was not happy with how this conversation was going. The man wasn't agitated in the least.

An honest smile lit up Hotch's face. "Well, that is usually a prerequisite for you. By the way, I happened to see the matched set you gave your last interest."

Rossi had the decency to blush; he might have to try some more discretion going forward. There was some merit to the saying about fishing off the company pier. He might have to remember that. "Ah, okay, I get it. You doubt the sincerity of my feelings for JJ."

Intelligent brown eyes gazed back at him. "Dave, if you have true, sincere feelings for JJ then who am I to say anything? However, if you are looking at _any_ of the women on my team as conquests for you then I would be the first to disabuse you of that notion. Your personal life is your business but should it interfere with my team then you would answer to me."

Dave stood staring at him for a long time trying to figure out what the hell had just happened. "So you are saying you would really be okay if I were to date JJ?"

Hotch shrugged. "Does JJ want to date you? Because I'm not her dad for Christ's sake, you don't have to ask me for permission."

"Huh." His eyes narrowed as he looked at the younger man frustrated by the complete lack of response. "Well okay then." The bastard was a tough nut to crack. He was going to need to regroup and rethink his strategy because right now it was Aaron Hotchner: 1 – David Rossi: 0.

Hotch grinned back at him like he'd heard his internal thoughts and accepted his challenge. "Good luck, buddy."

**Thank you for reading! A sincere thanks for all that reviews, favorites and/or follows. I appreciate the interest and hope this doesn't disappoint. **


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: Not Mine**

Hotch was in a fantastic mood by the time JJ arrived at his house later that evening. She found him sitting in the kitchen going over math homework with Jack. After sending Jack upstairs to prepare for bed he moved over to take JJ in his arms. "Hey baby." He bent and kissed her neck. "I understand you have a new suitor." He chuckled.

JJ, who had been feeling very anxious about sharing her conversation with Rossi with Hotch, narrowed her eyes. "You think it's funny that your best friend asked me out?"

Dropping a kiss on her forehead he responded. "Sweetheart, I adore you. If I thought for a minute that David Rossi was sincere in his interest of you I would probably have to kill him."

"Then why…" JJ's mouth dropped open. "Oooh, I told you they knew."

"You were right, they know." He agreed. "And Dave thought it would be a good idea to try to mess with us." Hotch smirked, then told her of the conversation he had with the older man. "You should have seen his smug ass when he left my office this afternoon. I told him that if the two of you were happy with one another than I was happy for you." He scoffed, remembering the challenging look that his friend gave him as he left his office.

JJ raised a brow at him. "What makes you think I won't trade you in for a Sugar Daddy?"

Hotch bent down and captured her mouth with his kissing her thoroughly. "Does that answer your question?" He asked when they broke apart with a sigh.

"You're pretty smug." She said as she clung to him.

"I had to open twenty files to calm myself after you left the file room." She looked at him in confusion. "I kept thinking about getting you in bed tonight and I wasn't calming down. So I ended up pulling files." He shrugged boyishly. "So I can't help being smug by the fact that it's my kisses that make you weak in the knees. Sometimes, you look at me and I think I can actually feel my heart skip a beat."

JJ smiled and lifted up on her toes to kiss him. "You are also pretty adorable. Sweet talker."

They gave the topic of their intrusive friends a break as they went about normal nightly rituals. JJ called Henry who was staying the night with his off-duty dad and read him a book over the phone. Then she joined Hotch in Jack's room as he read his son a story and they both tucked him in.

They resumed their plotting over a cup of hot chocolate and snuggling on the couch. "So should I expect Emily to hit on me tomorrow?" Hotch asked.

JJ looked over her mug at him and shook her head.

"No?" Hotch asked in confusion, "Why not? Isn't that the obvious next play? That could have been fun."

JJ sighed and sat her mug on the coffee table. "I'm seeing a devious side to you that I never suspected." It made her wonder what he would have done if Emily had tried to flirt with him. "Besides, Emily won't flirt with you because both she and Pen know that I am already attracted to you."

Hotch gave her a little grin and asked cockily. "Did you call dibbs on me?"

JJ remained mum. "Oh my gosh, Aaron, that's it!"

"What's it?"

"You have to hit on Emily. It will totally freak her out. Oh, and you have to do it with Morgan watching."

That intrigued him. "Really? Prentiss and Morgan?" Why hadn't he seen that?

"You're enjoying this a little too much."

He _was_ enjoying it. But before he did anything further he had a confession to make and he wasn't exactly sure how JJ would react. He might think he'd done it intentionally. "Honey, would you be mad if I told you that I think I inadvertently started this whole thing today?" He asked with a grimace.

"What did you do?" She was beyond curious having felt that she was the one that alerted the team to their romance.

There was more humor than remorse in his grin now. "Morgan was at it again and asked me if you wore a little nurse's outfit while you took care of me." His grin grew lascivious. "I _may_ have reacted."

"Uh huh." JJ crossed her arms waiting for him to continue.

"To be fair, you did wear a little outfit and that may have flashed through my mind, but the stutter was just to pull his chain."

She couldn't help but ask. "Stutter?"

"I stuttered a little when I told him that you were a big help." He scooted closer. "He didn't even have a clue I was playing him. He bought it hook, line, and sinker."

And it was clear how proud he was of that fact. "But he does now." JJ pointed out.

Hotch wasn't so sure. "Eh, maybe. They are still trying to figure out if it is because we do have something going on or if I'm just playing with them. They've got just enough doubt going on right now to drive them nuts."

"Look at you being all devious." JJ slid over and completely closed the gap between them. "Who doesn't like a bad boy?" She purred as she straddled his lap. "I think we need to finish what we started this afternoon."

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Before the daily team meeting Rossi, Prentiss, Morgan, Garcia and Reid sat in the war room going over the results of the previous day's meddling.

"He wished you luck?" Morgan questioned, tapping his finger against his lip. "Obviously he knows he has nothing to worry about." He chuckled a bit, imagining Hotch's delight in being able to get one over on Rossi.

Garcia drummed her fingers on the table, deep in thought. "So now all we need to do is to get them to admit that they are in a relationship."

Prentiss winced. "Have we considered that there may be a valid reason that they haven't shared this information with us?"

"What reason could they possibly have for not letting us in on the secret?" Penelope scoffed, unable to accept any reason for not letting the team in on the secret, after all they were family.

"It may have something to do with the fact that the Bureau frowns on fraternization." Reid offered.

"Sure, but we don't care about that." The analyst argued. "All we care about is the fact that they're happy. Two of my favorite people in the world found happiness together and I want to share in that. I want to celebrate that."

"But do we really know that they are together?" Reid debated. "This is still just speculation." His comment was met with the skepticism it deserved. "Or maybe it's not." He added when he received a fierce look from Garcia. "So why do we need to out them?" He asked with a little trepidation.

"Personally I just want to bust his balls." Rossi admitted freely. "He's been eyeing JJ for a long time." He took a moment to recall his first encounter with JJ and Hotch's seemingly innocent warning off at the time. "I want him to admit it."

Morgan snorted. "I think we all know who called this relationship." His argument went back to months earlier when he witnessed an exchange between the pair that he was certain was romantic in nature. When he shared it with the team, at a moment much like the current one, they all scoffed at him and told him he was way off base. Their stoic, rule abiding leader would never jeopardize his or JJ's career by doing something so completely improper as engaging in an affair of the heart with a coworker. "I want you all to admit it."

Emily glowered over at him. "So, what?" She asked. "Do you want a cake with an apology written in blue frosting?"

"The actual color of the frosting is unimportant. But we can both agree that a cake would be a good start." He grinned over at her. "Unless you have something else in mind, Princess."

"Has anyone else ever noticed that Derek makes the word Princess sound suggestive?" Garcia asked, finally clueing in on some other undertones that were occurring right in front of her.

"I think maybe we tend to overlook a lot of stuff that happens right in front of our faces." Rossi mumbled.

"Maybe it's not so much overlooking as it is respecting their privacy." Reid suggested. "I mean, shouldn't we just be happy that they're happy?" Reid asked. "I think we can all agree that it is evident that they are happy together." He looked around the room hoping to have someone, anyone agree with him but was met with dead silence. Defeated he sighed. "So what's next?"

"Are you guys still plotting?" JJ asked, entering the room, surprised to find the team already assembled.

"Why would we be plotting?" Garcia challenged, raising a brow.

Before anything else could be said Hotch joined the group. "We've got a case." He announced, moving into the room. Eyebrows were raised when he placed his hand on the small of JJ's back ushering her further into the room. "Denver, Colorado," Hotch turned the screen on and began to brief the case and all speculation and games of one-upmanship came to an abrupt end. For now.

**Thanks for reading! As always a special thanks for all that review, favorite and follow. I sincerely appreciate it! **


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: Not Mine**

**A/N - There is one little part in here that is really AU (like the whole story's not! HA!) but it was necessary for the discovery so I'm not going to overthink it. (Much.)**

JJ and Hotch made their usual effort to steer clear of one another during the investigation. But this time the team was paying close attention to the pair. They noticed the way they naturally gravitated towards one another. They noticed the shared glances, the innocent touches, the simultaneous comings and goings. All the little things that they had overlooked in the past pointing to one clear sign – JJ and Hotch were absolutely, positively in a relationship. A pretty serious one from the looks of things.

Late on Friday evening they managed to apprehend the unsub and the BAU team prepared to return home. They had an early morning debrief then the jet was to return for them at noon. Wearily they all departed for the local hotel and their respective rooms. Although they managed to wrap the case up relatively easily it had still been draining.

JJ groaned as the alarm on her phone alerted. It felt like she'd just gone to sleep. She twisted and reached for the offending object and was about to get out of bed when a pair of arms wrapped around her middle.

"Don't go." Hotch's voice was hoarse from lack of sleep.

JJ twisted back, scooting until she was flush against him. She tucked her body close to his, kissing his chest where she imagined his heart to be, as she lay against him. "The longer I lay here the more likely someone is to discover us."

His only answer was to tighten his hold.

Later in the morning the team, once again minus JJ and Hotch, met in the small restaurant.

"Maybe they went ahead to meet the plane?" Emily suggested, although it would have been the first time that had ever happened. The team arrived together and they departed together.

"Oh, I hope nothing is wrong." Garcia worried, continuing to watch the door thinking they would magically appear.

Rossi grinned, "Maybe things got dicey in the shower."

"Maybe they're still in bed." Morgan guessed. "Have we checked to make sure they've checked out?"

They hadn't, a fact that Garcia was quick to check on as she raced from the table.

"Why don't we just call them?" Reid questioned, raising his hand, phone clearly evident.

"Hang on there, champ." Rossi cautioned, laying his hand on Reid's arm, wanting to hear what Penny had to say first.

The bubbly TA came charging back, slightly out of breath. "Neither Agent Hotchner nor Jareau have checked out of their respective rooms." She announced to the group.

"We should pay a visit." Rossi suggested as he stood, happily imagining what they would discover.

"They could be in distress." Morgan grinned, standing as well.

"We're going to get fired." Reid groaned, seeing no other choice but to follow the group.

"Don't worry," Emily told him, wrapping an arm around his shoulder, "We'll blame Dave."

It hardly took any convincing to get the manager to give them a master key; if Penelope was magical over the phone she was downright devastating in person. The manager on site hadn't stood a chance.

"You, my friend, are fearsomely scary." Emily told Pen as they made their way to the rooms in question.

They arrived outside the rooms in question. "It's interesting how JJ and Hotch are not only on the same floor, but side by side." Emily pointed out.

"Makes it much easier to sneak around." Morgan commented, standing in front of the door that they had been informed belonged to their leader.

"I'm really not sure we should be doing this." Reid said nervously.

"Oh look," Rossi said, as he swiped the room key, "It slipped." The room was semi-dark, light was filtering in from the hallway enough to clearly make out the pair intertwined on the bed. Emily turned on a small lamp in the small sitting area.

"So, I guess this means JJ can't to go out with me?" Rossi's voice came to her in a fog.

Sounding smugger than usual Morgan stated. "I don't know why anyone ever doubts me. I told you they had something going on." He still was looking for his validation.

"Aww. They are so sweet. Can I take a picture?" Garcia sighed, even as a flash lit up the dim room.

JJ realized that her premonition earlier had actually come true. The entire team stood grinning down at them.

"I'm not sure why you are all in my room surrounding my bed but I'd appreciate it if you got the hell out." Hotch's arms tightened protectively around JJ.

"You and JJ were both absent from our breakfast debrief and neither of you answered your phones." Reid kindly answered. "We were concerned for your safety." At least that was what they all agreed to say when they made the decision to invade Hotch's room.

"Really?" Hotch said dryly. "Yet no one called our phones or actually knocked on the door." Hotch logically pointed out as he glared at the team still loitering around his bed. However an obviously naked boss tangled with an equally obviously naked JJ was nowhere near as daunting as a suit wearing Hotch.

Rossi shot a look at Penelope. "I thought you called."

"What?" Pen responded, wide eyed and startled, she didn't want to bear the brunt of Hotch's wrath. "No, I didn't try to call them. No one asked me to call them." She draped the blankets around JJ a little so her state of dishabille wasn't so quite so noticeable.

"Jeez Penny way to ruin a good view."

"That's it. OUT." Hotch roared, his eyes pinning Rossi; all good humor gone from them.

"It was only a joke, Hotch." The older man assured him. "There was nothing showing other than JJ's shapely legs, which we've all seen in a skirt."

"Do we have a new case?" Hotch bit out. "Because if not than I would appreciate you all removing yourselves from my room. NOW."

Multiple murmurs of 'sorry' were heard as the team slinked from the room.

"Sorry." Hotch dropped a kiss on the top of JJ's head. She was quiet, most likely mortified at getting caught by the team especially since she had warned him of that very possibility only hours earlier which he completely disregarded.

"How long do you think we have until they wonder why we haven't joined them?" She asked in a husky voice, her hands sliding down his torso.

"Really?" He asked with a touch of surprise.

"God yes." She told him as she rolled back pulling him on top of her with a giggle. "We're awake, the team _definitely_ knows, we should celebrate. And you are so hot when you're forceful."

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The team expected an embarrassed JJ and an angry Hotch to greet them when the pair finally showed up at the airport. They were surprised to discover they were wrong. Not only were they not displaying the emotions the team had assumed they would, they were openly affectionate, holding hands as they walked into the waiting area.

Emily stared pointedly at their joined hands.

"You know, we had planned on telling the team over a happy hour." JJ smiled. "But we got called on a case and then you all decided to completely disrespect our privacy and you found out for yourselves."

"But why all the secrecy?" Pen pouted, more than a little sad to realize she hadn't been part of the secret.

"We didn't start out with the intent to keep it a secret." JJ shrugged. "It was new and we decided to keep it to ourselves. As you all know, we have our fair share of failed relationships in the BAU. We just wanted to see where it was going to go before we said anything."

Rossi grinned. "And where exactly is it going?"

JJ and Hotch exchanged a smile then Hotch answered. "JJ and Henry are moving in with Jack and me. We just gave it a trial run recently and it worked out pretty good."

"So good, in fact, that we no longer like to sleep separately. Which worked out really good for our nosey friends." JJ added drolly.

"How long?"

JJ laughed at Morgan. "I don't know, Morgan. You tell me. When was it that you saw us?"

"I knew it!" He shouted looking at the rest of the team. "I told you they were together back then!"

It was Garcia's turn to shout. "That was months ago! You've been keeping the fact that you have a boyfriend a secret for months!"

"And we're going to continue to keep it a secret." JJ said sternly. "Aaron has a meeting with the Director on Tuesday."

"He'll get the job." Morgan stated confidently, while the rest of the team concurred.

"He should," JJ agreed, "But that doesn't always mean he will. So in the meantime this stays between us." She glanced at each of them silently stressing the need for continued secrecy.

"I've got to hand it to you." Rossi said with a chuckle. "I can't believe you managed to pull it off this long. You even had me fooled."

"I was definitely, positively not completely sure." Derek laughingly admitted. "Until last week, then I knew it."

Garcia shook her head. "So all that time you were gushing about him on girl's night…?"

"Yeah, about that, Pen." JJ interrupted. "Girl's night is sacred you're not supposed to spill our secrets."

"Uh! You made a mockery of the sacredness by not being completely honest." Garcia argued, while Emily remained suspiciously silent. She had her own secrets that she didn't want exposed.

"A lie of omission is still a lie. Right, Em?" Garcia asked, determined to drag her other BFF into the fray.

Caught Emily gave a sheepish smile. "Garcie, just a little over an hour ago you were saying how cute they looked. Jayje didn't intentionally lie to us she did it to protect her relationship." She smiled. "Just the other day we both said how great it would be if Derek was right and they truly were a pair because they both deserved the best. Shouldn't we be happy for them and let it go?" She held her breath as Garcia wavered. "Come on, you know you can't stay mad at your Peaches."

Garcia huffed out a heavy sigh and looked at her glowing friend. "She's right, I can't." Then she engulfed the pair in a bone crushing hug. "So Peaches, how is Boss Man in the sack?"

Hotch chuckled as JJ rolled her eyes. "Told you."

**Thanks for reading! I have just a small epilogue left...**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: Not Mine**

**A/N - I'm kind of sad this one is at an end. But here it is all shiny and with a bow. Hope you enjoy it. **

EPILOGUE

_On the jet back to Dulles Airport… _

"That was some pretty impressive tap dancing you did back there, Princess." Derek commented sitting down next to Emily. "Makes me very curious as to what secrets you may have shared on your holy grail of a girl's night that you don't want to get found out."

Emily laughed. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Alright, if that's how you want to play it." He leaned in close and whispered in her ear. "I'm really good at ferretting out secrets."

Emily shook her head. "You got one right, that's all there is." They both looked over at JJ and Hotch nestled together on the couch. "I don't know how they think they're going to keep that under wraps." It was evident that the pair was completely nuts about one another.

"Especially when JJ tells him she's pregnant." Derek said slyly.

"What!" The brunette popped up in her seat.

"Shhh!" Derek urged, grabbed her arm and pulling her back. "It's a secret."

"Don't be making up crap…"

"She keeps touching her stomach." Morgan interrupted. "Watch."

They sat silently, studying the pair for almost ten minutes and every so often JJ would touch her stomach. "It is disturbingly creepy that you noticed that."

Morgan shrugged. "I caught it out of the corner of my eye. I've been watching them so long waiting for my big 'A ha!' moment it's kind of become a habit." He looked over at her and grinned. "Still sounds creepy." He agreed.

"Wow. This is huge." She inadvertently huddled closer to him. "So, are we thinking Hotch is clueless?"

Derek laughed. "The man's gone from a drought to an abundance, he's still caught up in the fact he's getting sex on a regular basis."

"You are such a romantic." Emily scoffed.

"Point is he doesn't have a clue." Morgan sighed. "I think our boy's going to be getting a lot of good news this week." He bumped shoulders with Emily, happy for their happiness.

"You know, there could be a thousand reasons JJ is touching her stomach." She found that she was slightly envious of her younger friend. She wanted to be happy in love and starting a family.

"Tell you what. If JJ doesn't tell him after he announces he's been chosen to replace Strauss then I'll drop my quest for discovering your secret. However, if she does, you have to tell me what it is you don't want me to know." His eyes bore into hers.

Emily looked at him warily, he'd been making her a little uneasy lately and she was beginning to suspect that maybe he did know her secret. "I don't know what you think I have to tell."

"Then you have nothing to lose." He calmly pointed out.

Unable to resist his smug, gloating face she found herself agreeing. "Fine." Who knew, maybe Emily might find her own happily ever after.

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Tuesday morning dawned bright and clear. The members of the BAU team were all anxious for various reasons:

Hotch had a meeting which would have some life altering effects. He'd get the job or he wouldn't. But he also had to disclose his personal relationship with JJ which could have consequences. He might end up having to look for a new job altogether.

JJ was keeping a new secret that would definitely be bringing some change. She wasn't sure if Hotch would be mad that she waited to tell him or not and that weighed heavily on her mind. As soon as his meeting was over, that was the mantra she kept repeating. One way or another Hotch was going to get some life changing news today.

Derek wanted something from Emily she seemed reluctant to give but he was determined to try. The fact that JJ and Hotch were making a go of it only made his resolve that much stronger. Girl was not going to know what hit her.

Emily was trying to determine if she was as big of a risk taker as her friend JJ as she enviously wished for everything her friend recently achieved. Her feelings for Derek were growing harder to ignore and she wasn't sure if it was just wishful thinking but sometimes she swore she saw something in his eyes when he looked at her.

Pen managed to get her baking in for this occasion. She had a chocolate cake ready to go when Hotch announced he got the position. She looked down at the beautifully decorated cake and sighed. Chocolate was his favorite, right?

Reid was feeling guilty. He had a date over the weekend with an attractive, voluptuous admin from White Collar. Everything was great until she told him post coital where she got her assets. He wasn't sure if he should apologize to Rossi or thank him? Was there etiquette for this kind of situation?

Rossi was disgusted. For some reason all the flat chested babes in the Bureau seemed to be hitting on him. Maybe it really was time to broaden his dating pool. The Hallmark card with a handwritten apology from Reid on his desk confirmed that decision for him.

CMCMCMCM

Hotch had been meeting with the Director for almost an hour while JJ paced the office floor unable to focus on anything else. She refused to sit still and was slowly, methodically, driving the entire team nuts.

Reid watched her pass him for probably the tenth time before finally saying, "JJ, you know the odds are in Hotch's favor." He kindly pointed out.

"They would be stupid not to promote him." Rossi added in agreement.

"There is no one that could do a better job for the BAU." Morgan stated.

"Chocolate is his favorite right?" Penelope asked. "No way was I coming unprepared for this."

Emily laughed, trust Pen to bring cake. "I wish you would have said something, I could have brought champagne." She announced with a smile. Then having spotted Hotch moving slowly down the corridor, "Jay." She alerted the pacing woman.

JJ turned back to her then looked at where she was staring. Hotch's expression was unreadable. They gathered in a group as they watched him move purposefully towards them.

"Well?" Rossi asked as he neared.

He didn't keep them in suspense. "You're looking at new BAU Section Chief." His grin exploded before turning to Morgan. "I'll expect your resume on my desk by COB." He caught his hand in a celebratory shake that ended in a man hug.

Congratulations were offered all around until he finally ended up in front of JJ. "I also divulged the nature of my relationship with you." He advised her before catching her to him and kissing her in full view of the entire office.

"If you hadn't that certainly would have explained it." Rossi cracked.

The team, with the exception of Derek and Emily, was puzzled when JJ asked if she could have a minute to speak to him privately.

Hotch followed her to his office wondering what was wrong. She'd been a little distracted since their return from Colorado. "What's going on, JJ?"

"I have something to tell you." She said, biting her lip.

"Okay." She was worrying him. "You haven't changed your mind about moving in together have you?"

The team watched the activity through his now open office windows.

"She's not going to dump him is she?" Rossi asked looking at Emily and Garcia.

"No. Definitely not." Derek answered for them, sharing a sly glance with Emily.

"Why do you two look like you know something?" Garcia asked, torn between the byplay between Derek and Emily as well as the unfolding scene taking place in Hotch's office. "Do you know something?"

Hotch's question made JJ laugh. "No. You're not getting rid of me that easily." She moved close to him and took a deep breath. "In fact, I'm going to have to insist on living with you. I'm not going to be the only one getting up with a baby at night, you helped create it, you can take a turn…"

His hands reached out and cupped her face, wonder and joy shining in his eyes as he studied her. "Are you serious?"

She nodded. "I got sick in Colorado; the last time I puked I was pregnant with Henry."

"Why didn't you tell me?" He questioned, his hands gently caressing her abdomen.

"She's definitely not dumping him." Reid pointed out as Hotch was cupping JJ's face then, clearly, reverently, touching her stomach.

Rossi's jaw dropped. "Holy shit."

"Oh my, a baby." Pen's eyes filled with tears, as she looked at her coworkers.

They all turned from the scene in the office as Hotch once again took JJ in his arms kissing her soundly. They probably deserved a little privacy from their prying eyes.

"Crap." Emily growled causing all eyes to swing back to her wondering what was wrong.

Derek was watching her patiently. "You got something you want to tell me, Princess?"

"Not really." She mumbled, now feeling a more than a little nervous. Although she'd known when she placed the bet it would come down to this.

"A bet is a bet." He moved closer to her.

"Did we miss something?" Rossi asked, now clued into the interaction between the two. "What's the deal with this office?" He wagged his brows at Garcia, completely forgetting his earlier vow.

Not looking away from Emily, Derek stated, "We have too many secrets around here. It's not healthy for a team. I think Prentiss has some unresolved feelings for me I want her to get them out in the open. I want to deal with them." His smile grew. "I want to _explore_ them."

Emily glanced at Penelope, just barely, looking more for support than anything but Pen misinterpreted the look and panicked. "I swear, I didn't tell him anything." She blurted.

Emily closed her eyes with a groan. "Garcia! You just did."

Derek's smiled widened. "I told you I was good at ferreting out secrets, Princess."

"Well," Hotch said, dryly, rejoining the team, "If you plan on having any kind of relationship with Agent Prentiss, I suggest you get good at keeping them. You know fraternization is frowned upon."

Rossi chuckled. "Says the man with the pregnant girlfriend."

JJ smiled. "You know, I'm thinking everyone watching Emily and Derek and wondering will they or won't they…"

"Are they or aren't they." Hotch modified.

"Won't be a bad thing." JJ finished.

"We aren't, we haven't." Emily stated adamantly.

Derek looked over at the blushing brunette and smiled. "Yet." He slung an arm over her shoulders. "I think we should discuss this over lunch."

"I'm a really bad bet, I'm extremely moody." Emily warned.

Derek chuckled. "I like my women a little prickly."

"I don't share." Emily growled at his use of the plural women.

"Neither do I." He assured her. "This is kismet."

"I could eat." Reid stated, reaching for his jacket. "Mind if I ask Tiffany?" He directed the question to Rossi.

"If it doesn't bother you it doesn't bother me." The older agent assured him.

"Our boy is growing up." Morgan laughed, slapping Reid's shoulder.

"I could eat." JJ said, rubbing her still flat stomach. "Sure it'll probably come up later but that's okay."

Hotch reached down for her hand. "I'd say I'd hold your hair but I think you should know that I'm a sympathetic puker, so no. But I will get you ginger ale and saltines."

"If he's going be all mushy for the next nine months I'm going to be puking." Rossi grumbled.

"I baked a cake people!" Garcia growled. "We're supposed to be celebrating!" She fussed at the team as they ambled towards the hall.

"Oh, I hope its red velvet." Hotch informed her. "You know that's my favorite."

Garcia glared at them all. "You people suck."

**Thank you for reading! And huge THANK YOU to everyone that was kind enough to leave feedback, favorite, or follow the story. I sincerely appreciate the interest! **


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